Elizabeth Fires Back
by Broadwayfreak5357
Summary: I started writing this after 2x22, so it's a little shot to hell with 2x23, but I'm publishing anyway. This is in response to Conrad possibly firing Elizabeth, which we all know now isn't a hing, but anyway. It's got a sassy Elizabeth and a little Elizabeth/Henry fluff, which I am all about!
**A/N: Yet another dinner table story! I don't know where exactly these plot bunnies come from at 2:30am, and they need to go away because I need my beauty sleep. This is all just kind of word vomit, but we'll see if I can't make some sense out of it.**

 **5/8/16: I wanted to publish this before the episode but life happened and I didn't get it up, so it's a little shot to hell because of Conrad and the VP talk (HOW CRAZY THOUGH?!) It might be a little OOC but personally I want to see Elizabeth all fired up and not giving a shit about anyone else for a change :)**

 **Also I'm lazy af and not super happy with the ending, but can't be bothered to change it.**

The sound of clinking cutlery on dinner plates filled the otherwise silent room, threatening to overwhelm its inhabitants. Picking listlessly at her food, Elizabeth McCord sat at one end of the dinner table, while Henry sat at the other end, watching his wife pensively.

The McCord children had picked up on the silent tension and stress that seemed to be emanating from their mother, and from their father to a lesser extent, and kept their heads down, focusing on their food.

The cordless telephone resting near Elizabeth's plate rang and she snatched it up desperately.

"Hello?" she said authoritatively, snapping out of whatever funk she was in previously.

Elizabeth drew in a quick breath. She is beyond exasperated with Conrad, and doesn't want to play ball at the moment. She cut right to the chase.

"Can you make this quick, Mr. President? You're cutting into my family time," Elizabeth said decisively, not caring about the proper tone of voice to be using with the President of the United States.

As Conrad drones on and on about her role in the administration, her duty to her country and the possibility of replacing her as Secretary of State, Elizabeth comes more and more undone.

Utilizing some deep breathing exercises, she tries to stay calm, but the kids and Henry notice her grip on the phone and the wine glass in her other hand becoming more white knuckled than ever before.

The kids are absolutely transfixed; they rarely see their mother lose her cool.

Henry is mesmerized by the beautiful, passionate, exasperating, fiery woman sitting across from him — how did he ever get so lucky? He thanked God every day that undergraduate student Elizabeth Adams accepted his coffee invitation at UVA. What a wonderful, crazy, incredible ride it's been since then.

Elizabeth scoffed at the voice on the other end of the phone and rolled her eyes at her kids and Henry. Jason started to say something but Henry silences him with a glance, knowing that the fireworks are about to start.

The kids had rarely seen their mother lose control, and it might be good for them to know some of what she's been dealing with over the past few months.

Elizabeth huffed angrily in response, slammed her eyes shut and reopened them instantly, ready for battle.

"Conrad, I have had enough!"

Elizabeth slammed her open palm on the table to emphasize her point and it startled Alison who jumped in response. Henry is captivated by the sight of his angry wife across the table.

Elizabeth was incredulous, almost daring her boss to come and play, like a cat with a mouse.

"You're firing me? Really?" She scoffed loudly. Cradling the phone between her ear and her shoulder, Elizabeth brought her fingers together in a steeple-like motion, hoping that the pressure between her fingers would ground her further.

"Okay, fine. If that's the way you want to play it, be my guest. But let me tell you — I never even wanted the job in the first place, except for the fact that I had a sick sense of duty to you and to the world to put things right after my days at the CIA came to a close.

Conrad tried to speak on the other end of the line but Elizabeth shot him down.

"No. It's my turn to talk and you are going to listen." Elizabeth's eyes flashed dangerously as she sat on the edge of her seat.

"I have bent over backwards for you and for this country. I have sacrificed everything for this job. I have spent time away from my husband and my precious children. I have wrangled countless foreign ministers into bowing to your global policy plans; I have answered your calls at 4am; I have flown around the world at a moment's notice, all because I serve at the pleasure of the president."

Elizabeth drew a sharp breath and continued on her tirade, hell-bent on making Conrad hear her. If she was going to go, she might as well go out with a bang.

"And now that I don't serve at the pleasure of the president, as you so humbly just reminded me, I'm going to tell you a few things about the intricacies of my office.

Do you know how much sleep I have lost and how many things I've missed out on while putting out fires all over the world, on your behalf? I literally put myself in the line of fire to protect our country, and I would do it again in a heartbeat. My little Iran trip, which you sanctioned, ended up with me having a breakdown and getting diagnosed with PTSD. I had 10 stitches in my back, and days and months of flashbacks and nightmares and fear. Do you know how paralyzing that is? How much I wanted to finally get my life back to normal but couldn't?"

She sipped her wine slowly, almost daring her boss to contradict her. Henry couldn't keep his eyes off her. The kids stared at her in varying degrees of shock, awe, and a little fear.

"I always said I would leave this job in an instant if it threatened what Henry and I have, and I'm here to tell you that our marriage has suffered because of my part in your administration. But we are holding ourselves together with tape and glue and trying our damndest to make things work."

Alison's eyes widened as she tried desperately to make eye contact with her father, who only had eyes for her mother at that moment.

"So fuck you, Conrad. I am done playing all of your bullshit political games. Give me a call when you get your head out of your ass and start thinking again."

She hung up and threw the phone on the table; her chair practically vibrating with anger. She looked at her worried children and thoughtful husband and all the anger drained out of her like air out of a flat tire.

She suddenly feels exhausted and puts a shaky palm on the table to ground herself.

"Sorry, you guys had to see that. Apparently, Mama's a little unhinged today." Elizabeth said, almost slurring her words as the full force of exhaustion hit her.

Alison and Jason looked worried, but Stevie just smiled. Her mom has needed to let loose for a while now, and she was just relieved. She hoped that things would go back to normal; the house had been so tense lately.

Henry got up out of his chair and crossed over to her. Elizabeth raised her hand to stop him, too tired to deal with Henry's annoyance over unloading like that in front of the kids.

Her mouth quirked up in surprise when, instead of berating her, he said: "Want a drink?" She gaped at him like a fish, as he crossed the liquor cabinet and poured her a scotch. He put the glass in front of her with a smirk and waited for her to down it.

She tossed it back quickly and grimaced as she felt the burn in her throat spread down to her belly. The fire has gone out of her as quickly as it ignited and all she wanted in that moment was to go to bed. Henry ducked out of the dining room to return the bottle of scotch to the liquor cabinet.

Stevie recognized that her mother's strength was flagging, and started stacking the dinner dishes on the table.

She gently smiled at her mother and winked at her father. "We'll clean up, Mom! You just go take a nice, relaxing bath and go to bed."

Elizabeth reached out to grasp her eldest daughter's hand and smiled. So intuitive, that child.

"Thank you, babe," Elizabeth said gratefully.

Henry came back to Elizabeth's side and saw that she was still seated, barely awake. Alison and Jason were still watching, wide eyed, as Stevie busied herself with cleanup.

Elizabeth gazed at him wearily, her eyes glazed over slightly. He caressed her cheek.

"Ready for bed, sweetheart?"

She knows it's too early for bed but she can't bring herself to care. Tiredly, she tried to stand, feeling a bit like Bambi on ice for the first time. She faltered, grasping for the back of the chair.

"I got you, babe." Henry swooped in and scoops her up in his arms, one arm resting behind her knees. She closed her eyes and her head fell against his chest as he cradled his wife close to his body.

Henry carried his sleeping wife upstairs and gently set her on their bed, trying not to wake her. The poor thing was absolutely exhausted.

Elizabeth stirred groggily on their bed and stretched like a cat, before wrapping her arms around her body and settling back to sleep.

Henry grabbed Elizabeth's favorite sweatshirt, a ratty USMC one that she stole from him years ago, and pajama pants, hoping to make her more comfortable.

He took off her skirt and bra tenderly and helps her change into pajamas. She traps his hand in hers and tugs him down onto the bed.

"Come cuddle with me?" Elizabeth said teasingly.

Henry marveled at her ability to make him do anything she wanted, even though she was half asleep.

He smiled gently at his love. "I'll cuddle for a little bit." He joined his wife on their bed, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her into his chest. Elizabeth murmured incoherently into his chest and he chuckled at his wife's antics.

"Take a little nap, babe, you'll feel better, Henry said with thinly veiled amusement. "I'll be here when you wake up."

"Kay," Elizabeth mumbled. "Love you."

"Love you too, sweetheart." Kissing her hair, Henry succumbed to sleep.

2 hours later, a fuzzy Elizabeth woke up to an empty bed. Feeling around for Henry and disappointed when she couldn't find him, she climbed out of bed and tried to shake the remaining tension from her neck and shoulders.

She heard raised voices downstairs and pulled a blue robe over Henry's USMC sweatshirt to go investigate.

Elizabeth stopped on the landing of the stairs and is jolted out of her reverie by the sight of her former boss standing in her living room; Henry is facing him down.

She looked down at her pajamas ruefully and laughed. Oh well. She's off the clock.

Henry and Conrad were startled out of their showdown by Elizabeth's laugh, and stepped away from each other.

Elizabeth adjusted her posture, drew her shoulders back, and took a breath as she joined the two men at the bottom of the stairs.

"Mr. President," she said coolly. Too caught up in her thoughts, Elizabeth missed the regret and sorrow that shadowed Conrad's face momentarily. They used to be friendly and like one of the family, but too much had changed in the past year.

Conrad sighed heavily. "I'm not here as the president, but as your friend."

Elizabeth crossed her arms in a mix of disbelief and amusement, and Henry moved to stand behind his wife, resting his hands on her shoulders in a show of silent support.

Conrad continued, almost oblivious to the silent tension and anger that radiated from Elizabeth. If he didn't know her so well, he never would have noticed it.

"Russell really went to bat for you, you know, when I wanted to replace you," Conrad said sheepishly.

Elizabeth found her voice again. "Wanted?" she queried.

"He talked me down. Said we would lose any diplomatic ground we've made in recent months if I were to replace you," Conrad said with a ghost of a smile.

"He's right, you know. I knew I picked you for this job for a reason. You've given a hell of a lot to an appointment you never wanted in the first place, and I am grateful. The country is grateful. So what I'm trying to say is — I'm officially bringing you back on board. That is, if you want to come back, anyway."

Elizabeth cracked a smile.


End file.
